Troubadour 77

http://troubadour77.com/

To quote a Troubadour 77 song, “I guess we’ll never know how the story could’ve read, cause we can’t go back again, to 1977.”  Or can we?  Nearly forty years later there is one band boldly leading the charge and taking fans on a journey back to the rock n’ roll, California country and singer-songwriter roots of the 1970s.  Troubadour 77 has listened to the generation raised on great melodies, lyrics and records and agree with them that there is an under-served population of music lovers who are ripe to hear some new original music that can live beside the classics spinning in an endless loop on their favorite 70s satellite radio stations or streaming playlists.  The time has come to deliver songs that address the life circumstances, social issues and perspectives of an older and wiser generation of music lovers. 

Troubadour 77 (aka T77), is the brainchild of Grammy award-winning singer-songwriters, Anna Wilson (Piano) and Monty Powell (Electric Guitar).  Not unlike the Buckingham-Nicks alliance, Wilson and Powell have been married for 16 years, making music together as artists, songwriters and producers in Nashville.  Collectively they have written a dozen #1 songs and countless album cuts that appear on over 70 million records and have co-produced unique special projects together that pay tribute to The Eagles, Billy Joel and the Countrypolitan era of music.  Additionally, Powell was a key creative force in establishing the mega success story of Keith Urban.  He was his early producer and one of Urban’s top collaborators for many years, earning Golden Globe nominations and countless industry awards for the songs they composed together.  Ultimately, Wilson and Powell spent 25 years in Music City together, but it wasn’t until after breaking away and retreating to their second home in the Utah mountains that they found a new muse that came calling so strong, they had to answer. 

The songs of Troubadour 77 are written by Wilson and Powell.  Wilson began revisiting the records of Jackson Browne, The Eagles, Firefall, Linda Ronstadt and many others, and realized how much she missed that sound and someone just singing her a great song.  Wilson states, “I used to think I was born 20 years too late because I wasn’t in Los Angeles in 1975.”  Powell chimes in, “We are just trying to find the true believers.  We are purposefully making new music with a classic sound that will make you reflect and celebrate your place in life without relying entirely on the nostalgia of a bygone era.”  Wilson adds, “We’re all getting older.  I think artists should make music that addresses that part of the journey too.” 

Joined by their band mates, Austin Weyand (Guitar), Kassi Weyand (Bass) and Nathan Chappell  (Drums), the band hails from Salt Lake City.  In an interesting twist, Austin and Kassi are also married and been making music together for over 15 years, and Nathan Chappell, a Native American from the Hopi Tribe, started playing drums at thirteen, in 1977.

It’s time to wake up from the fog of your kid’s music, to remember that every classic song was at some point brand new to you and to rediscover that sense of wonder and connection when you heard someone singing TO you, FOR you, ABOUT you and in some mystical way, WITH you.  Make room on your playlist for Troubadour 77…new music with a classic sound!